R45 Cafe Build

[Semper Gumby]

One of my guilty pleasures in life:  The Bikexif web site!

http://www.bikeexif.com/bmw-r45-custom#more-13469

Terrible looking seat though!   [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]  (tweek Tweeek)

[Dave 2]

Yummy

[steve hawkins]

As much as I like the concept of remove anything unnecessary from a bike, there are some things that he has done that I do not like.

1.  The most hideous headlights to grace the front of a bike - I mean what was he thinking when he had a perfectly good looking standard light?

2.  Why has be bothered reducing the width of the subframe, only to put that old seat on it. Bleuh!

3.  Could have stretched to a spoked rear wheel to match the front.

Having said that, I like the general idea - I like the tank....A bit, the nobbly tyres, etc. I wonder what it sounds like.  Would he have been better advised to start with a R65?  

What do you think Barry? - I cannot comment as I have never ridden an R45.....Are they that slow? - a definate candidate for weight removal if there ever was one?  The lower power might be of benefit offroad?

Looks to me like a crashed R45 fell in his lap and he had to do something with it.  Pity he did not feel it necessary to make a decent job of it and finish it.

[Bob_Roller]

'Nice' side stand !!!!!!

[Barry]

If my R45 wasn't so close to 100% original I would very tempted to do something like that because one thing an R45 needs less of is weight. Mind you that's true of any bike. I keep making metal calculations of what could be ditched or improved.

NipponDenso starter - that's worth quite a few pounds and would enable the use of a smaller lighter battery another few pounds. Light alloy mud guards 2  in 1 exhaust, lighter ignition coil, I even weighed the inner tubes the heavy duty natural rubber ones are something like 2lbs each.

On the other hand "The Gonzo" goes too far - I would want a stand of some sort and a silencer.


Is an R45 too slow ?

How often do I use all 35HP at 7250 RPM - answer very rarely so it must be quick enough for my needs most of the time. Mind I'm a lightweight at 150 lbs before I put the biking kit on.

[steve hawkins]

I am going to have to take a closer look at my Cafe Racer.  It could still do with losing a lot of weight.  I should have started with a post 81 though - it would have been cheaper.

Still, I can afford to lose a few more brackets and clean up the frame.  And that Bosch starter could be replaced with the later type - a lot of weight to be saved there.  Perhaps I should get my drill out and put some more holes where there arn't any currently: )

Surprised our spanish friend did not take more of an opportunity to lose more brackets off his frame.  The rear foot rest hangers could go, now that he's is not hanging a silencer off them, as can his centrestand mounts.  Perhaps he just borrowed the bike and has to return it to its original owner after the 'service'.

Cracking website though - lots of very nce ideas.....Hmm

[steve hawkins]

Sadly I have to admit on putting on a few pounds of late......I dream of being 150lbs.......215 currently - although I am on a diet.

I bet you could keep pace with me on a drag race currently!

[Barry]

I bet you could keep pace with me on a drag race currently!

I don't know about that.

The R45 is a touch slow 2 up. Last summer when my wife got down to 120lbs for our sons wedding. I could really feel the improvement in acceleration.

Sadly acceleration has now dropped off a little but not too much.  We have another son to marry so I live in hope of getting the performance back again.

Don't tell her I said that on Valentines day.

[tvrla]

I like the thing - though, like you guys, consider it a work in progress. Still much more to go, like rear spokes, seat, exhaust, lights, front fender...

Kind of interesting what they did with the tank. That's one of the things I'm not particularly fond of our bikes. I think the lower line of our tanks should have continued flat all the way to the front rather than angling up half way forward. And why the hell only one petcock?

Anyway, I guess they've only just started.  

I rode an R45 and they aren't all that powerful, but it did keep up on the freeway at sixty or seventy mph. Wouldn't be a big job to up displacement to 650 - cylinders and carbs.

[nhmaf]

I sure *hope* that is a work in progress, 'cause if he thinks that looks good/finished at this point, well.... let's just say that they must have rednecks over in Spain, too...

[montmil]

... let's just say that they must have rednecks over in Spain, too...

There may be a few over at the ADVrider site, too. My stated opinion matches Steve Hawkins' and I did stir that pot.  [smiley=whistling.gif]

[montmil]

... let's just say that they must have rednecks over in Spain, too...

There may be a few over at the ADVrider site, too. My stated opinion matches Steve Hawkins' and I did stir that pot.  [smiley=whistling.gif]

[Bengt_Phorqs]

I kind of thought the stump was the best part of the photos.  And I'll leave it at that.